Possible Penalty Looms for Liverpool After Loss to Tottenham
Liverpool endured a challenging weekend as they suffered their first Premier League defeat of the season against Tottenham on Saturday evening. The game ended with a score of 2-1 in favor of the hosts and was marked by numerous controversial moments and contentious refereeing decisions.
The focal point of post-match discussion has been the ‘significant human error’ that led to the disallowance of Luis Diaz’s first-half goal, a decision that has since prompted an apology from the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited). The PGMOL released a statement after the game to acknowledge the mistake, offering a measure of consolation to Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp, however, found little solace in the apology, as he witnessed his team’s defeat, with Heung-Min Son’s tap-in and an unfortunate Joel Matip own goal in the 96th minute sealing their fate. Cody Gakpo had previously leveled the score with a powerful strike on the turn, albeit at the cost of injuring himself while taking the shot.
At halftime, Gakpo was replaced by Diogo Jota, a decision made by Klopp that, in hindsight, may not have been the optimal choice given the circumstances.
The Reds’ woes continued as Diogo Jota received a red card for two bookable offenses, both fouls on Destiny Udogie during the second half. This left Liverpool with only nine players on the field, as Curtis Jones had already been sent off in the first 45 minutes after VAR intervened, upgrading his initial yellow card to red for a tackle on Yves Bissouma.
According to The Echo, Liverpool could potentially face a fine following the game due to their perceived ‘ill-discipline.’ During the match, Mohamed Salah, Alexis Mac Allister, Andy Robertson, and Virgil van Dijk were all booked, with Klopp’s assistant manager, Peter Krawietz, also receiving a yellow card. This accumulation of yellow cards, in addition to the two red cards, exceeds the threshold set by the FA for potential disciplinary action.
Typically, a team that accumulates six or more cards in a game can expect a £25,000 fine, which Liverpool did, taking into account five yellow cards and two red cards. However, given the controversy surrounding the officiating in the game, it remains uncertain whether the FA will adopt a more lenient stance in Liverpool’s case. Klopp would likely consider it a severe injustice if a financial penalty were imposed on top of the lost points.
Jurgen Klopp voiced his perspective on the matter during the post-match press conference, emphasizing, “It’s important to me that people don’t start thinking we have so many red cards, so we are a kicking team. We don’t (go kicking players).” He went on to address the individual red card incidents and the team’s style of play, stating, “The first red card for Alex wasn’t a red card. Second is for a normal foul I would say. Third is for that situation (about Curtis), and the fourth I don’t understand how many games where you see 11 vs 9. It doesn’t happen all that often and we were not kicking Tottenham players. We were trying to play football.”
The Reds received only one red card in the entire 2023/24 Premier League season prior to this incident, making the four red cards in seven games a significant departure from their usual discipline. The upcoming days will reveal whether any action will be taken against Liverpool in light of these events.